


Afterlife

by orphan_account



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Resident Evil - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:54:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10048847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sara has gone 177 without seeing any signs of life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So here is a RE CC AU based on the movie RE:Afterlife. Originally this was going to be one long one-shot, but it's already at 16 pages so I decided to split into two bits. 
> 
> Enjoy, and if you have seen the Resident Evil movies you should. WM plays Ali Larter's brother in Afterlife and the casting is spot on. (Plus it's just a great movie)

Sara hopped out of the plane gracefully, taking in her surroundings. The transmissions she had followed, a radio broadcast repeating Arcadia over and over again, brought her here.   
Her surroundings consisted of a large open field cluttered with planes. Lots and lot of planes. Old, out of use, abandoned planes. And no sign of life. 177 days had gone by since Sara had seen any signs of life. Her little field trip to Tokyo had been months ago and it hadn’t exactly been a welcoming affair. She had done what needed to be done though, and she finally felt free. She felt human. 

A light breeze shifted the air, carrying the scent of salt and sand with it. She headed in it’s direction. Water generally meant life and if there were any survivors, that’s where they would be.   
She started to hope again. Someone had sent that signal. Someone had recorded that message. Someone alive brought all those planes here. 

And she was going to find them. 

They weren’t, however, at the beach. It was just as abandoned as the field of planes. There was a helicopter at the water’s edge, proudly bearing the Umbrella Corp logo. She recalled the last time she saw her friends, the group of young survivors led by Lisa, piling into one just like it. Sara peered into the inside of the helicopter, pausing when she saw an old beat up diary. She picked it up with shaking hands, her heart skipping as she flipped through it. 

It was the same diary she had shoved into Sin’s hands when they said their farewells. 

She clutched the diary to her trembling chest. They had been here. Her friends had been here. 

There was movement behind her. She dropped the diary and grabbed her guns from their holsters. She could come back for it. 

She whipped around in a flash, catching no more than glimpse of a shadowy figure running back towards the plane graveyard. Re-holstering her weapons, she took off after them. 

“Wait!” She called out as she ran. “Wait! I can help!” 

The figure wasn’t exactly faster than her, but it one hell of a jump start. Sara had lost all sight of it by the time she made it back to the planes. She grabbed her weapons again and scanned the area, walking slowly and on high alert through the field. Most of them looked undisturbed. There was one though, a larger silver thing at the end near her own plane. It’s double doors had been flung open and one of them was swinging back and forth, squeaking from the lack of use. Sara tiptoed towards it. She eased the door open with the barrel of one of her guns while keeping the other poised and ready to fire. She could whoever was inside rustling about. 

“It’s ok. I’m a friend,” she assured them. She put away her second gun and pulled the door open with her hand-  
-only to be attacked by dozens and dozens of birds. She crouched down and flung her arms over her head, wincing as their claws and beaks scraped her skin. After a few moments, it was over. 

She stood back up. She stared at the birds as they flew off, screeching into the sunset. She let out a little smile-technically she had just found signs of life. She wondered if this was a sign. If this meant there was more life to be found here. 

She didn’t have to wait long for an answer. A figure bum-rushed it’s way out of from behind her, tackling her to the ground. Sara felt the full force of the ground slamming into her. She grabbed the person’s wrists and tried to hold off the scratching long enough to get the upperhand. She did, slamming her knee into the stomach and throwing the person off of her. They flew back, slamming their head against the wing of a plane, and crumpled to the ground. 

Sara got pull herself up and walked over the body. It was a woman, slender and dressed in torn clothes, with a mess of wild hair covering her face. There was a red blinking light coming from her chest. Sara pulled the edge of her shirt down just enough to get a good look at what it was. There was a metallic, robotic beetle attached to the woman’s flesh. She reached up and moved the hair out of her face, her hand stalling as she saw the details of her face. 

She was staring into a face she had been looking for for 177 days. A face that had become one of-if not her only-friend in the world. A face that she had said a tearful goodbye to as it led a group of survivors to the promise land. 

She was staring into the face of Lisa Snart. 

*********  
The thing she had ripped off Lisa’s chest was a about the size of her hand. It’s head was a blinking red light that had shut off as soon as Sara had removed it. It had six legs protruding from it’s body. She wanted to take it about and examine it, find out what it really did, but she didn’t have the tools here She’d have to wait until they could find some place that did. 

A shout grabbed her attention. Lisa had woken up and was currently trying to fight off the restraints Sara had used to bind her to one of the planes. 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. I had to tie you up so I could pull this thing off you,” She explained, waving the robotic in front of her. Lisa looked at it confused, then back at Sara, even more confused and a little fearful. She tried to scoot away from the other woman. 

“Lisa,” Sara tried again. Her friend’s reaction sparked a little fear in her. If Lisa didn’t remember her it means they found her and they did something to her. “Lisa, it’s me. Sara. We fought together in Central City almost a year ago? You left with a group of survivors to find Arcadia?”

Still nothing. 

“You left with Sin? And Thea, Roy, Caitlin….You really don’t remember any of this?”

Lisa had stopped trying to move away now. She was listening intently to what Sara was saying but it wasn’t registering. 

“What do you remember?” 

“Not much,” Lisa said with a heavy sigh. “A lot of emotions. A lot of fear, stress...a lot of crying. But that’s it.”

Sara nodded, taking in the information. She untied Lisa and explained the plan to her. 

“Arcadia is supposed to be a safe haven. No threats, no disease, with plenty of food and water to go around. It was supposed to be here.”

“There’s nothing here,” Lisa said cautiously. “I don’t remember how I got here, but I know I’m alone.”

The blonde sighed. She walked back to her bag and grabbed a blanket, tossing it to her companion. 

“Try and get some rest. We are leaving in the morning.”

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere that’s not here.”  
**********

“Your name is Sara, right?” Lisa asked. They had been flying over the western seaboard for hours in almost total silence, save for Sara talking into the little camera she carried with her to document what had been happening. “Look I’m sorry for what happened back there. I don’t remember anything.”

“They were injecting you with something. That thing I pulled off of you? It had been pumping your blood stream full of some sort of memory drug,” Sara answered her. She was scanning the land below, once again looking for any signs of life. 

“It did it’s job. I can’t even remember my own name.”

“It’s Lisa. Lisa Snart.”

“Lisa?”

“Sound familiar?” 

“Not really.”

“You’ll get used to it.” 

“Perhaps you can cut me loose now?” Lisa asked, pulling her still bound hands up and wiggling her fingers. Sara smirked, turning her full attention back ahead. 

“We should get to know each other a little better first,” Sara countered, earning an actual laugh out of the woman sitting behind her. 

They flew until the scene below transformed from open grassy fields to jagged mountains, until the mountains were replaced by a burning city. The atmosphere in the little plane changed quickly. They flew over a crumbling building, the letters CAT barely intact to the side of it. 

“National City,” Sara muttered as they continued over the ruined city. The further in they went, the more the city burned. Smoke rose up into the air from every end of the city. 

“I think I had a friend who liked to watch things burn….” Lisa murmured, almost too quietly for Sara to hear. She hadn’t learned much about Lisa’s life before, other than she had a brother who she had been separated from. Sara was just happy to know her friend was starting to remember things. 

“I don’t see any signs of life. Not even the undead,” Sara noted. 

“Maybe they burned too.”

“Maybe.”

Sara lowered the plane so the building rose higher than them, hoping for a better view of the shorter buildings below the tops of the skyscrapers. 

“You said you’re looking for signs of life, right?”

“Right.”

“So how big of sign would a bunch of people jumping up and down around giant ‘HELP ME’ painted on top of building be?”

“Where?”  
“Three o’clock. The building next to the one that says Wayne on it.” 

She veered the plane left, heading where Lisa directed her. The building was huge, a jail, she thought, taking in the fenced lawns and the tall windowless walls. 

She also noticed the hundreds of undead crowding the streets surrounding it. It would be impossible for them to land the plane anywhere near it. She flew past the building and circled back around. It would have to be the roof. 

“This may get a little rough,” she warned Lisa. 

“Then cut me loose,” was her response, thrusting her bound hands forward. 

Sara debated for a moment before sliding a knife behind her. Lisa thanked her and sliced the ropes, setting her wrists free. 

“Just don’t do anything too crazy.”

“I think you’ve got crazy covered.”

Sara smirked, lowering the plane while Lisa braced herself for impact. 

“Is this a bad time to tell you we are out of fuel?” Sara shouted as the plane lowered and the big red bulb to her left started flashing. 

They came closer and closer to the building. They could see the group of people throwing themselves out of the way in anticipation. The front wheel of the plane smashed into the roof, sliding forward at high speed. Sara threw the brakes on, trying to get it to stop but it kept going forward, forward, forward, crashing to the opposite edge of the roof, smashing the railing. The plane stopped but the nose was tipped over the edge, sliding the whole thing forward, down into the hoards of the undead. 

Something grabbed a hold of the tail and pushed down, effectively pulling the plane and the women inside back onto the roof and to safety. They were being pulled back, the decayed faces of the undead below shrinking into nothing. Once they were level again, Sara climbed out of the plane,and stepped out onto the wing, Lisa right behind her. The group was there to greet them. One older man, two young, and two women around her own age. One of the young men slipped under the plane as soon as she cut the engine. 

“Some landing,” the older man said. He offered his hand out to her.

“I think technically it’s called crashing,” she quipped, taking his hand and stepping off the wing. 

“John Diggle,” he introduced himself while shaking her hand.   
“Sara,” She tried to not read too much into the way her eyes darkened when told him her name. 

“That’s Lisa,” she continued. John nodded, extending his hand out to her as well. 

“John Diggle,” he reiterated, extending his hand once more. Lisa only glared at him. She hopped of the wing herself and brushed past the group. 

“Hi!” One of the women bounced up to Sara. She took a moment to appreciate how pretty the girl was. “My name’s Iris.” She grabbed Sara’s hand and shook it tightly. 

“No, no, no!” One of the young man interrupted, the other woman on his heels. He pushed Iris out of the the way and addressed Sara. “Who care about introductions. You’re here to help us, right?” 

“Can you get us out?” The woman that followed him asked. She was blonde and small. 

“They want to know if you are from Arcadia,” Iris explained. 

“What did you just say?” Sara asked. She didn’t even know the broadcast had reached this far. 

“Are you from Arcadia?” Iris asked again. 

“How do you know about Arcadia?”

“They said they could help us.” The blonde one asked. 

“There are supposed to be other survivors. Civilization, safety-” Iris filled in.

“Infection free!” the blonde one exclaimed, bouncing a bit with excitement. 

“The sent you, right?” The man said. He was tall, much taller than Sara and wearing a suit. 

Sara looked at their excited faces and found she couldn’t get the words out. She simply shook her head, her heart breaking just a it as their faces fell. 

“But...there are others out there? Like you?” The blonde asked. 

Sara shook her head again. 

“Just us,” she explained. 

“So, no one is coming to rescue us,” Iris stated. 

“I’m sorry,” Sara said. It had no effect. The man in the suit let out a frustrated groan, stomping off in the direction Lisa had disappeared to, the little blonde following behind him. Iris tossed Sara a smile before following the other two. 

Sara turned to John with an apologetic look. She was about to apologize again when he cut her off. 

“Don’t take it so hard. They had their hopes up as soon as they the plane. We’ve been held up here a long time.”

“They thought you could take them to the promise land,” the young man who had disappeared beneath the plane had reappeared at John’s side. “Cisco Ramon,” he introduced himself by thrusting out his hands. Sara took it and repeated her own name to him. He shot a quick glance to John before flashing her a smile. “What do you say we figure out if this baby will still fly?” 

“Even if it does, there’s only two seats. It’s not going to get us to Arcadia.”

“No, but Amelia Earhart here can take her trusty sidekick and fly there, tell them about us and get them to send help-”

“We can’t,” Sara interjected, “There is no Arcadia. I found Lisa in Alaska, where it was supposed to be, and there was nothing there.”

The two men shared a look then turned back to Sara. 

“Arcadia isn’t in Alaska,” Cisco said slowly. “You might want to grab your friend.” 

**********

A cargo ship was sailing along the coast. It was white with red trim, large enough to hold an entire city’s population. In bold red letters, the word ARCADIA was painted on the side. 

“It’s a boat,” Sara stated in disbelief, lowering the binoculars Cisco had handed her.“No wonder we thought it was in Alaska. They must be going up and down the coast looking for survivors.” 

“We’ve been launching flares for days trying to get their attention. We used the last one a few hours before we saw your plane,” John explained. Sara handed the binoculars to Lisa, a little bit of hope making it’s way into her heart. 

“Lisa, that’s Arcadia. That ship out there,” Sara said and handed the binoculars to Lisa, a little bit of hope making it’s way into her heart. 

Her friend didn’t take them. She turned away from the edge and stepped away from the others. 

“I know. I remember the beach. I remember the ship and people coming to the shore to help us,” she said quietly. Sara stepped away as well, going to Lisa and putting a hand on her shoulder. 

“Why didn’t you go with the others?”

“I don’t remember.” 

Sara sighed, squeezing her arm and heading back to the edge of the roof. 

“We have to get to that ship.” 

“But first, how about some food?” Cisco suggested. He walked past Sara to Lisa, offering her a smile. “It’s not exactly first class, but Iris makes a mean gruel. Best in National City.” 

Lisa smirked a bit before linking her arm with his. 

“Lead the way,” she said, a touch of flirtation in her voice. 

*********

“Welcome to your new home, cell block B,” John said as he led them into an open area. The man in the suit and his blonde companion were standing next to a table in the back. Iris was at a large pot, stirring something while she chatted with Cisco and Lisa, each holding a tray with some sort of goop on them. 

“Iris does most of the cooking, she seems to be the only one who can turn the dried stuff that was left into something edible,” He continued, grabbing a tray for both himself and Sara. 

“I’m sorry we didn’t come with better news,” Sara apologized again when they reached the woman. 

“Better get used to disappointment,” She said, smiling and spooning some of the goop onto their trays. “At least, that’s what my editor always said.”

“Editor?”

“Came to National City to be a reporter for Catco. They were only looking for freelance at the time, so I spent most of of my time as a barista.”

Their conversation ended there as the man in the suit and the blonde pushed their way in front of them, trays in hand. 

“Excuse me, we’re hungry,” he snarled. Iris rolled her eyes and dumped some gruel onto their trays. They scurried off to a far table.

“Jerk….” Iris muttered. She dished herself up a plate and led them to a table. 

“What’s his story?” Sara asked as they sat down. 

“That’s Sam and his girl, Rosalind. Back in the world they were a couple of thieves. Egotistical but harmless. They never managed to pull a successful job and were constantly getting caught,” John explained. 

“Until they teamed up with the Captain,” Cisco added, eyes alight with mischief. He and Lisa joined them. 

“The Captain?” Lisa asked. 

“Captain Cold. No one actually knows his real name but he got the nickname cause he’s so calm. Like all the time. Never reacts to anything and is totally ruthless. Plus, there’s the gun and the fact he’s the only one who can probably get us out of here.”

“If he can get us out of here then why aren’t we talking to him?”

There was an awkward shift in the air. 

“It’d be waste of time,” Sam shouted from his table. “Cold doesn’t talk to anyone, not unless you have something he wants and trust me, no one here does.”

“He’s right. Cold hasn’t said a word to anyone since we locked him up in the basement…” Cisco started to say but slowly trailed off when he saw the look John was giving him.

“He can help us get to Arcadia and you have him locked away in a basement?” Lisa asked incredulously. 

“He’s dangerous. Like crazy dangerous. Sam and Ros used to work with him and they told us everything.”

“You just said they were criminals,” Lisa pointed out. 

“And?”

“Criminals are liars. They hurt people and they rob them. I say we talk to this Captain Cold,”Lisa went on, throwing the suggestion at Sara. 

“Let me do it,” she said in agreement. 

“He might not say anything,” John warned. 

“I can be very persuasive.”

**********

“It’s about damn time,” was how they were greeted when Sara and John entered the basement of the building. “I hate being down here. I keep hearing things scuttering in the walls.”

“Sara, meet Joe West, Iris’s father,” John introduced them. Sara shook his hand. 

“That some cell,” she commented, nodding at the cage before them. It was a fairly large cell, with metal grates and clear plastic making up the walls. A shadowed figure was leaning against the back wall, angled so only his legs were visible. 

“Built especially for our guest of honor. When we took over this place there he was, locked away where he couldn’t harm anyone. Makes you wonder what he did back in the world to get such special treatment. Sara here is going to get to know the Captain a little better. You and I,” John pointed to himself and Joe, “Are going to check out that scuttering.”

“You sure it’s alright to leave her alone with him?” Joe asked. 

“I can handle myself,” Sara ssured Joe. The two men headed off, leaving Sara alone with the cage. 

She took a closer step to the cage once they were out of sight. There was a door of metal and plastic right in the center, with a little slot just big enough for someone to reach an arm through. 

The figure moved into the light. He was tall, this Captain Cold, with closely shaved hair and long limbs. He wasn’t dressed in an orange jumpsuit like she had assumed he would be, but rather in dark pants and a long sleeved black shirt. He made his way to the door, not walking but sauntering, stopping until he was right against it. He looked down at her, his gaze intense, and Sara felt her breath stop. 

“The name’s Leonard,” he drawled, thrusting his hand through the socket in a ready to shake gesture. 

Sara didn’t respond. 

“You were the only flying that plane,” he continued, retreating his hand back when she didn’t shake it. 

“How do you know that?” She asked, regaining her breathing. 

“I pay attention.”

“They told me you wouldn’t talk to me unless I had something you wanted.”

“That all they told you?” 

“They also said your name was Captain Cold.” 

He barked out a laugh at that, leaning both his arms against the door frame. 

“National City is old school. They keep a hardcopy of all their files just in case of a system failure. All anyone had to do was look at my file and they would know everything they needed.”

“So no secret identity then?”

“I like having people know my name. Can’t go down in history if they can’t spell your name.”

“They also said you can get us out of here. Get us to Arcadia.”

“That’s true. I’ve never met a building I couldn’t break into and prison I couldn’t break out of.” 

“Then why haven’t you helped?”

“No one’s asked.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said. I’ve been trapped in here with these idiots for months. They know that I know how to get them out of here and they haven’t asked.”

“Then I’m asking. I’m asking you to help us.” 

He regarded her silently for a moment before pushing himself off the door and walking to the other end of the cage. Sara followed around the outside. 

“What’s in it for me?” He asked after a moment. 

“Excuse me?”   
“I help you, get everyone out this hell hole, and I get what out of it?”

“Freedom?”

“Given what’s going on in the outside world that’s not much.”

“Well, then, what do you want?”

“I’ll think about it.” 

Sara was pissed. She was working the exact way to let him know how much when a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up to see John Diggle. 

“Turns out there was nothing there. Any luck on your end?” He asked. 

“No,” she said, glaring at Leonard. “No luck.” 

The three of them headed back up to main cell block. 

*********

“Ta da!” Iris sung out, striking a pose next to the shower as actual running water pour of the shower head. 

“I don’t believe it!” Sara exclaimed with delight. She put her hand under the stream only to jerk it back when she felt the shock of the cold. 

“At least it’s clean?”

“At least it’s clean.” 

“I’ve left you some clothes to change into. Enjoy,” she said and left Sara to her own devices. She stripped down, ensuring her weapons were still in reach but out of the spray of the water, and stepped into the water. 

It hurt at first, the icy drops stinging her skin, but the relief from weeks of dirt and grime sliding off her made it worth it. She tossed her head back, letting the water soak her head, adding a heaviness to it. 

She took the cloth left for her and the bar of soap and scrubbed away everything. The dirt, the blood, the grime, the guilt, the pain, the weight of the world. She left her eyes close and her mind drift, finally feeling safe enough to relax a little bit. 

Her mind drifted to the cage. To long legs and slender arms, to buzzed hair and intense eyes staring down at her. 

A shiver ran through that had nothing to do with the cold. The long forgotten sensations of want and desire made themselves known as she recalled the deepness of his voice, how he elongated certain vowels to add a flair of drama to everything he said. How he-

-something crashed behind her. She whipped around, all thoughts of Leonard tucked away for later, and snatched up one of her guns. She turned off the the shower while looking from side to side for whatever could have made that noise. The only sounds now where the drops of water falling from her heavy hair to the tiled floor. 

She felt a breeze tickle her back, the kind that was made by someone breathing right behind you with no regard for personal space. 

It also smelled like rotting corpse. 

She whipped around, aiming the gun right at the undead’s head and firing before it could even unhinge its jaw to bite her. 

But the creature hadn’t come alone. 

In mere seconds she was surrounded. They were getting clever it seemed, hiding behind the various crates and boxes that lined the shower’s outer edges. They all popped out at once, surrounding her and effectively cutting her off from her other weapons. 

That was the downside to being caught naked, she mused, there’s just no where to stick hide a machete. 

She had five bullets left and eight enemies. She’s taken out more with less. 

“Well c’mon then, it’s just rude to keep a lady waiting.” 

**********  
“It’s not safe here anymore,” Sara warned them. She had managed to take out the undead from the shower, slip into some clothes, and gather everyone around the front of Leonard’s cell. 

“We need to get out of here,” she continued, “And Lenny here is the only one who knows the way.” 

“Well, lucky for you, I figured out what you can do for me,” Leonard said from behind her. He was still locked away in his cage, but she could tell by his tone how much delight he took in everyone being a little afraid of him.   
“Yeah? What’s that?” Joe asked defensively. He was standing protectively in front of both Iris and Lisa, thought the latter didn’t seem to care much about what was happening. Her attention was focused more on Cisco. 

“The plane. I get you all safely out of here and then come back for it. You just need to ensure that it’s working condition.” 

“I’ll need to be at Arcadia, I won’t be able to fly it for you,” Sara stated. 

“No need, I can fly it myself. Do we have a deal?”

Sara didn’t wait for anyone else's response before opening the cell door. 

“Deal,” she agreed, holding her hand out. The crook shook it, smirking at her. It was a natural smirk, she told herself, he had nothing to do with the goosebumps that erupted when their hands met. 

He let go quickly and walked out of the cell. His smirk grew more mischievous as he noticed the way people were looking at him. He stopped right in front of Sam, leaned in close, and whispered “boo” causing the other man to jump backwards. Joe rolled his eyes and pulled Iris to the side, putting Lisa directly into Leonard’s line of sight.

He froze. 

“Lisa?” he asked with an air of disbelief. The woman in question cocked her head slightly, looking at him with curiosity. 

“Do I know you?” she asked. 

“Lisa, it’s me,” he said softly, moving forward to her. He placed a hand on her face when he reached her. “What did they do to you?”

She reached her hand up and grabbed his wrist, offering him a sweet smiled before flipping him around and forcing him to bend backwards, pinning his arm against his back. 

“I don’t know you,” she hissed into his ear. 

“Lisa,” his said warningly, “I’m your brother.”

Lisa only tightened her hold. No one made a move. They were half amused by the situation and half afraid of what she would do if they intervened. Sara stepped forward. 

“When we first met in Central City, you told me you were there looking for your brother. You didn’t give me a name, but if this is him, it’ll come back to you eventually.”

Lisa nodded, releasing Leonard and moving back from him. 

“What happened to you?” He demanded. 

“She’s suffering from some sort of memory wipe. She didn’t even know her own name when I found her.”

“As touching as this family reunion is,” Sam interjected, “I saw it’s high time we get the fuck out of here.”

Leonard turned and walked toward the back of the room. They followed, one by one, Sara in the lead.


End file.
